


Music boxes

by wanderlash (orphan_account)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino, Miraculous Ladybug AU, ignoring canon but getting things from it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-23
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-28 13:58:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6331906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/wanderlash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette Dupain-Cheng is an important fashion designer from China. When she decides to go to Paris to learn from one of the most important designers, Adrien is forced to be her translator.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Weird dreams and mysterious girls

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still struggling with English so if you see any mistakes tell me in the comments! :) (also sorry for the shitty summary I suck at this)

When Adrien woke up that morning he felt uneasy.  
It wasn’t because that day he was going to meet one of the most prestigious designers of Asia, no, he didn’t remember that. It was because of his dream.  
Since his mother disappeared years ago he hadn’t dreamed much, and when he did it was mainly something weird. But this time he had dreamed about the future. It sounded crazy, but he was completely sure that it had been something like a vision.  
He closed his eyes, still not accustomed to the sunlight, and tried to remember it with every detail he could. A sweet smile. Someone speaking French with an accent that he wasn’t capable of placing. Someone throwing a vase, making it collide against the floor and shattering it into a million pieces. A music box was playing in the distance, and a sob silenced it.  
He opened his eyes as the door of his room opened. Adrien saw Nathalie, his father’s assistant, hesitantly sticking out her head.  
“Adrien? You have to be ready by 9. Today’s the day.”  
He rubbed his eyes and stood up, still sleepy. “What day? It’s a normal day of summer, there’s nothing special about… oh” he said, suddenly more awake than before. “Oh, no, I had forgotten about it, I’m so sorry. I’ll be downstairs in half an hour.”  
Nathalie nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Adrien looked at the clock hanging on the wall in front of him. He still had time to take a short shower and get dressed.  
As he was getting undressed he tried to remember everything Nathalie had told him the day before.  
‘She’s a young designer who has always lived in China’ he repeated on his head while opening the water tap. ‘She has moved to Paris to learn more about designing. She doesn’t speak French, so she needs someone who speaks Chinese to communicate.’  
“And of course it’s my job to be the translator” he finished, closing the faucet, covering himself with a towel and drying his hair with another.  
He tried to choose the best clothes he had on his wardrobe, but it was difficult. As a model he was usually told what to wear and when he had the chance to choose them himself he was afraid of picking the wrong combination.  
Adrien chose a pair of black jeans and a white shirt. He looked at himself in the mirror and brushed his hair carefully. His father was always extremely strict on how he looked, and through the years he had gotten used to it.  
He looked at the clock one last time before leaving his room and going to the dining room, where he used to have breakfast. It was half past eight. That meant that in less than an hour he’d be seeing one of the most prestigious teen designers of Asia. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. To be honest, he was terrified. What if he messed up? What if he suddenly forgot every Chinese word he knew?  
He tried to calm down. He would be okay. After all, that girl was more or less his age and was probably as nervous as him. Maybe even more. Everything would be okay.  
After breakfast he got into the car with Nathalie and his dad. Adrien looked outside the car during their journey to the airport. He wondered about a lot of things, his brain was thinking about everything and nothing at the same time.  
“We’ve arrived” said the chauffeur. They got out of the car and walked to the arrival zone of the airport.  
A female voice announced that the flight from Pekin had just arrived, which made Adrien feel nervous again. There was a lot of pressure put on him and he didn’t want to fuck up.  
“There they are” whispered Nathalie, raising a sign that said ‘Mlle. Dupain-Cheng’.  
Adrien looked at where she was looking. He saw a woman and a girl, both incredibly similar, carrying really big suitcases. The woman, on the left, was wearing light blue trousers and a white shirt that reminded him of a kimono. She had a gentle smile on her face and she walked with confidence towards them. The girl, on the right, was wearing black jeans and a red t-shirt with black spots, making her look like a human ladybug. She was observing everything with her eyes wide open, trying to build a curious façade to hide her fear.  
“Adrien” said Gabriel coldly. “You have to talk to them.”  
Adrien cleared his throat and smiled at them. The girl looked at him with curiosity. “Hello, welcome to Paris” he said in Chinese trying to speak with the correct pronunciation. “My name’s Adrien and I’ll be your translator” he looked at the girl and she stared back.  
“Bonjour, Adrien. I’m Marinette and she’s my mother, Sabine” she said in French with a Chinese accent. Her voice was soft and calm, and it surprised him how sweet it was. “I’m sorry, my French isn’t good” she continued in Chinese. “I tried to learn but I’m really bad at languages. I’m glad that you’re going to help me.” She smiled and he did the same.  
“Son, tell them that Marinette will start her classes with me in two days, when she’s not jet lagged anymore” said Gabriel with a low imperative voice. Adrien repeated in Chinese what he had said. He was afraid at first, but when he saw Marinette nodding he felt a bit more comfortable.  
Nathalie indicated the way towards the car and told Adrien to tell them they had to leave. Adrien tried to translate that and they left.  
Marinette sat next to him in the car, so if she needed to say something she didn’t have to speak loudly. They were both a bit uncomfortable because there wasn’t much space left between them.  
“So… for how long have you studied Chinese?” she asked shyly.  
“A few years, five more or less” he answered. “I would be better but I don’t have time to study more” he was feeling more and more nervous.  
“Really?” she asked with surprise. Her mouth had the shape of a small red ‘o’. “Your Chinese is really good.” The compliment made him blush a bit, and he muttered a shy ‘thank you’.  
Nathalie informed Adrien that they were going to be staying at their house. After all, they had enough room for the two of them. Adrien told their guests what she had said and they nodded.  
“Tell them that we don’t want to be a bother” said Marinette’s mum. Adrien told them not to worry, they weren’t bothering at all.  
When they arrived at the Agreste’s residence, Marinette gasped in surprise. Adrien smiled. It was a common reaction people had when they saw where he lived, and he was used to it after all these years.  
“I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping” said Adrien. He looked at the Gorilla carrying the bags and he decided to help him.  
Nathalie opened the front door and they entered. The entrance hall was huge. The main colours were black and white, making an elegant contrast that both Marinette and her mother seemed to like. In front of them there was a big stairway. At the top of it, there was a way to go to the right and another to the left.  
Adrien told Marinette and Sabine to follow him to their rooms. While they were walking he tried to explain the structure of the house and where everything was. He had to stop a few times to think about it, but they assured his Chinese was good and he was doing really well. Hearing that made him smile.  
“You’ll be staying here” he said looking at Sabine. The Gorilla carried her suitcase inside of the room, and Marinette bade her farewell.  
A few rooms apart from Sabine’s there was Marinette’s. Adrien wanted to help her with her luggage, but she refused, telling him that she would be okay. He told her where his room was so she would know if she needed anything. She thanked him for his hospitality and locked herself inside her room. Adrien thought she would be busy organising her things.  
The boy went to his room again and opened his computer. He had avoided some sentences he didn’t know how to say in Chinese, but he had to search them for future reference. Also, he searched some other expressions he didn’t remember quite well but he would perhaps need.  
The door opened slowly and Marinette appeared under his doorstep. She smiled shyly and asked if she could enter.  
“Of course you can, sit here” he said, standing up and pointing at a large white sofa in the centre of the room.  
Marinette sat slowly and looked at him. Adrien felt her eyes analysing him, which made him feel nervous. She was cute, but there was something about her that made him curious. Maybe it was because she was quiet and didn’t talk much, maybe because he didn’t know anything about her.  
“I brought you this” she said, showing him a brown box. It had a curious design, with cats carved on the bottom half. “Cats are often omens of good luck, so I thought that maybe you’d like it” her voice sounded nervous, like she was afraid of him.  
He smiled at her to make her feel more relaxed and opened the box. His mouth opened in surprise when he discovered that inside of it there was a wooden cat spinning around itself. The box emitted a sweet familiar sound. Maybe it was from a popular song, but Adrien wasn’t really sure.  
“Thank you a lot, Marinette” he said, putting his right hand on her shoulder and looking at her eyes. “It’s really pretty. Unfortunately I don’t have anything to give you…” he continued with a bit of concern.  
“It’s okay” she smiled shyly. “Your help with French will be enough.”  
“Oh, you two are here” said Nathalie, opening the door. “Your father has told me to show Marinette the city while her mother rests. Tell her what I just said. You have 10 minutes to be downstairs.” Adrien nodded and Nathalie left.  
“What has she said? I only understood my name” said the girl, confused. Adrien smiled and tried to explain what they were going to do. Marinette nodded and told him to wait for her, that she was going to change to something more suitable for the weather.  
Adrien watched her as he left his room. Maybe this could be his opportunity to know her better, he told himself as he put the music box on his night table.  
He decided to change too. He took off his white shirt and put on a black one with three stripes on his chest, yellow, green and purple from top to bottom. He was too lazy to change his trousers too, so he just brushed his hair a bit more and left.  
Five minutes after, Marinette was ready to leave. She was wearing a t-shirt with black and white horizontal stripes and light blue shorts. Her short black hair fell down loosely, a look that suited her really well. Adrien thought she was adorable dressed like that.  
He tried to avoid these thoughts while guiding her outside, ready to show her the best places of Paris.


	2. Ice-creams, sherbets and good ideas

The Champs-Élysées, one of the most beautiful places of Paris. Adrien used to go there when he had a free day because the atmosphere relaxed him. He had thought that maybe Marinette would enjoy that place as well. He looked at her. She was observing everything like she was making notes of everything on her mind. Maybe she was being inspired by all the people there, their different styles and colours.  
“Do you like this place?” asked Adrien. She nodded and smiled.  
“This place is really inspiring” she stated. “There’s a park near here, right?” she asked. Before Adrien could say anything else she continued: “I’d like to go there. If you don’t mind.”  
“Of course” he said with a smile. “Here, this way.”  
Adrien wanted to talk with her. He wanted to ask her questions, discover who she was… but he was too shy to think about anything. Maybe she’d like that he explained some Parisian history. Maybe that would bore her to death. Also, he wasn’t sure if he could say in Chinese everything he knew.  
Something caught his eye. An ice-cream shop. Maybe they could buy one, that would be a conversation starter. Kind of.  
Adrien grabbed her arm, pointed at the shop and asked her if she wanted to buy something there. Marinette said an almost inaudible “okay” and started to walk there next to him. When he asked her what he wanted, she just pointed at a sherbet. Adrien told the person in charge what they wanted and he prepared it in less than two minutes.  
“Here you have, the vanilla ice-cream for you…” he said, handing it to him “and the strawberry sherbet for your cute girlfriend” he smiled. Adrien felt every centimetre of his face blushing intensely.  
“She… she’s not my girlfriend. Thank you” he said, giving Marinette the sherbet and paying the barista.  
When they left the shop Adrien was still red, and Marinette noticed that.  
“Why are you blushed?” she asked, making him look away. “Was it something that man said?” she wondered. Adrien nodded, but he didn’t say anything else. She didn’t ask either, so the subject was left there.  
“You don’t talk much, don’t you?” she whispered, slurping the sherbet. He looked at her, surprised because she had wanted to keep talking to him. Some locks of hair were covering her eyes, so he couldn’t see her completely, but he was sure that she was smiling.  
“Well, you’re not really talkative either” he joked, and that made her laugh. “I guess I’m a bit shy” he continued. “Especially around people I don’t know.”  
“Then I guess we’ll have to fix this issue” she smiled looking at him. He didn’t know how to react, so he smiled as well. “Is there any place where we can sit?” she asked, looking around the park. Adrien nodded and took her to the nearest bench.  
They sat next to each other, just a few centimetres apart, and looked at the people who were walking by. Adrien didn’t know how to start the conversation, and he was afraid of getting nervous and starting to talk in French. Now he felt a bit more comfortable with Chinese, but he still felt like he needed more practise.  
“So… tell me something about your interests” said Marinette. Although she was observing everyone she seemed really interested in hearing what he would say.  
“Well, I like fencing” he started. “I also like playing the piano. Being a model doesn’t leave me time to have more hobbies” he smiled. “How about you?”  
“I’m always designing clothes” she answered. “You wouldn’t believe how many notebooks I use in a year. Almost everything I wear is something I’ve created.” Adrien stopped licking his ice-cream and stared at her, shocked. What she was wearing… she had made it? That was incredible.  
“I love your designs, then” he said, still amazed. “Do you think you could… design something for me?” he asked, hesitantly.  
“Of course I could!” she answered with a sincere smile. He started to feel curious about what she’d do for him. “But only if you play the piano for me someday.”  
“It would be a pleasure, my lady” he said, bowing. He realised that it could have sounded weird, so he apologised: “sorry, I don’t know where that came from.”  
“It’s okay” she said smirking. “I kind of like it, I could get used to it.”  
They both looked at each other, smiling, and when they realised what they were doing they looked away, ashamed.  
“Marinette, can I ask you something?” he murmured, still without looking at her. “If you’re Chinese, why do you have a French name?”  
“My dad was French” she answered “but he moved to China to marry my mum. She understood that he had made a big sacrifice so she let him choose my name.” Marinette smiled, and there was something about her smile that made Adrien understand that maybe it wasn’t a good idea to ask her about her father.  
Adrien’s phone broke the silence. He looked at the screen and saw that Nathalie was calling him. He bit his lip. What did she want? He apologised to Marinette with a look and answered the call.  
“Adrien, it’s almost dinner time” she informed. “Where are you?”  
“Shit” he murmured looking at the time. “I’m sorry, Nathalie. We’re at the Élysées. We’ll be back in ten minutes, fifteen maximum.”  
“Don’t be late” she advised and hung up the phone.  
Adrien sighed. Marinette was looking at him with curiosity. Maybe she had understood something, but just in case he explained what she had said and stood up. Marinette did the same and followed him.  
The way back to the Agreste’s residence was short, fortunately. While they were walking, Adrien and Marinette talked a bit more. They were slowly feeling more confident around each other, and that made him feel relieved. He would have felt really uncomfortable having to be the translator of someone who he despised.  
“Welcome home” said Nathalie when they arrived. Marinette smiled at her, and Nathalie did the same. It was maybe the first time Adrien saw her smiling, and it was so weird that he had to look away.  
He didn’t talk much during dinner. It didn’t matter, actually, because everyone was silent. Marinette and Sabine were exhausted, still recovering of the flight and the time difference. His father never spoke much anyway, so it wasn’t new.  
When everyone finished Sabine looked at Adrien and told him that they were going to sleep. Adrien nodded and looked at Marinette. Her eyes were almost closed, and it was obvious that she was struggling not to fall asleep. He smiled and wished them a good night. They thanked him and left to their rooms.  
After translating what they had said, Adrien went to his bedroom. He wasn’t tired, it was just 8pm, so he decided to read a book.  
The problem was that he couldn’t focus on the words. His eyes were reading and they understood the words, but his brain wasn’t keeping the information, so after more than a page and a half he realised he didn’t know what he was reading. It sometimes happened to him, and it bothered him a lot.  
He heard something falling and a meow and Adrien turned around with worry to see his cat on the ground. He had dropped Marinette’s music box. Horrified, he hurried to see if the box had suffered any damage. Luckily it was okay. He sighed with relief. He didn’t want Marinette to know that he had almost broken her gift.  
“Bad cat” he said, placing the box in a place where his cat couldn’t reach. “Where have you been today, Plagg?”  
The cat answered with a meow. He rubbed his head against Adrien’s legs, and he knew exactly what he wanted. With a sigh, he opened one of the boxes inside a drawer of his desk and took a small piece of camembert out of it. It made a disgusting bad odour, and he covered his nose so he couldn’t smell it.  
Plagg jumped excitedly and Adrien gave him the cheese. Out of all the cats in Paris he had adopted the weirdest one. Great.  
Adrien caressed Plagg between his ears and he purred, satisfied. Although he was a weird cat, he loved him a lot. He was the reason why Adrien didn’t feel lonely all the time. Yes, he had friends, but he spent a lot of time at home and here he didn’t have much freedom.  
Adrien decided to call Nino, his best friend. They used to call each other after dinner because it was the time of the day when they would talk about what had happened. He dialled Nino’s number and let the phone ring.  
Silence. And then Adrien heard his best friend’s voice at the other side of the phone.  
“Adrien! How are you, man?” he asked joyfully. That’s one of the things he liked the most about him, how happy he was. Some people told them that they were each other’s opposite, but neither of them believed that.  
“Hello, Nino” he answered, whispering. Marinette was sleeping in the room next to him and he didn’t want to wake her up. “I’m great, thanks, and you?”  
“Everything’s fantastic. Today I was with Alya the whole day. It was great, man.”  
“I’m so happy for you, Nino” said Adrien with a smile. Although he wasn’t close with Alya he liked her. She was sometimes a bit too enthusiastic and jumped to conclusions easily, but normally Nino was there to make her calm down and think things twice.  
“Why are you whispering?” asked Nino.  
“Do you remember the designer that I was going to be translating for? Well she’s sleeping next-door and I don’t want to wake her up, so…” he sighed.  
“Oh, I understand. She’s our age, right? Is she cute?” he asked, making Adrien blush a bit. Yes, Marinette was really cute and pretty, but he knew what his friend’s intentions were. He wouldn’t be fooled.  
“Nino, you can’t ask me that, you have a girlfriend” he joked, and he could almost see his friend rolling his eyes.  
“But do you think she’s cute or not?” he repeated, this time more impatiently. Adrien didn’t answer immediately.  
“Yes” he finally said. “But I don’t want to talk about her, tell me about your day.”  
Nino respected his command and changed the subject. He explained where he had gone with Alya, what they had done, how pretty she was today. Adrien liked to hear his friend talk about her. It was obvious that Alya made him happy. Also, it made him understand a bit more what would it be like falling in love.  
They continued talking until the clock struck nine. Then they bade each other farewell and Adrien hung up the phone. Suddenly he had an idea. Maybe he could introduce Alya and Nino to Marinette. He was sure that they would like her and since he had been assigned to be Marinette’s French teacher, he thought that she could practise her French with them too.  
Before telling his friends he decided to wait until morning and explain his idea to Marinette. Adrien didn’t want to start a project that would make her feel uncomfortable during her time in Paris, he wanted to be her friend.  
Adrien lied in bed for a while, petting Plagg, thinking about what had happened that day. He felt like he had met Marinette days ago, not that morning. Time was really weird sometimes.  
He unlocked his mobile phone and started to play a game, but he got bored easily and continued to read the book on his night table until he started to feel tired. Then, he put on his pyjamas, covered himself with his blankets and turned off the light.  
He fell asleep almost immediately and, as usual, he didn’t dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (jeez i feel like this chapter is worse than the first one, sorry)  
> if you have any suggestion or correction please tell me in the comments :)


End file.
